Jammu & Kashmir Admin Invites Offers From Hotels, Guest Houses To Accommodate 'Protected Persons'

All private hoteliers and guest house owners in Srinagar have been asked to provide requisite documents and register their premises with the Tourism Department.

Srinagar: In the wake of requests made by several political leaders and businessmen, Jammu & Kashmir administration on Thursday invited offers from hotels and guest houses in Srinagar to give paid shelter to "protected persons" after incidents of selective killings in the Valley in recent past. 

The initiative was introduced after people under various degrees of threat perception, most of them political leaders, have demanded from the Lieutenant Governor-led administration to ensure their security, news agency PTI reported. The Jammu & Kashmir Police has recently issued a notice inviting offers from hotels and guest houses to rent out their premises.

All private hoteliers and guest house owners in Srinagar have been asked to provide requisite documents and register their premises with the Tourism Department.

All these hotels and guests houses will be hired by the J&K administration for accomodating "people under threat" only after they pass the necessary security clearance and have undergone a physical inspection by a security team,  the PTI report added further.

A similar initiative has been announced by Kashmir administration few years ago when a large number of hotels, guest houses, and private houses were hired by the security wing to harbour a large number of protected persons in Srinagar.

Targeted killings have been on the rise in Jammu and Kashmir lately. Last week, a sarpanch named Manzoor Ahmad Bangroo was shot dead by terrorists in Goushbugh Pattan area of Baramulla district. According to reports, the sarpanch was shot outside his residence in an apple orchard and was brought to a hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Bangroo was the second victim of targeted killing of civilians by militants last week alone. Satish Singh, a local Rajout, was shot dead in Kulgam district.

Despite efforts to neutralise terrorists, targeted killings are being carried out by militant outfits in the valley. Four sarpanches have been killed since the beginning of this year, the latest being on April 14.

(With inputs from PTI.)